Trained in Vienna and Munich, master metalworker Cyril Colnik settled in Milwaukee in 1893, where he created decorative wrought iron work for dozens of homes and public buildings until his retirement in 1955. He also designed vases, candlesticks, door hardware, and other ornamental wares in a variety of styles. The Colnik Collection of the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum includes more than 200 examples of Colnik's work donated to the museum by his daughter Gretchen Colnik in 1991. The Villa Terrace is also home to the Colnik Archive, an extensive collection of original drawings, blueprints and photographs donated by the Kohler Foundation in 2002.